The Sprout: Joe Canadian's beer revolt upends internal trade barriers

Good morning and welcome back to the Sprout, where your host is delighted to hear that this little dude is back to scampering along tree branches thanks to a kind hearted B.C. vet.

Now, here is today’s agriculture news.

The Lead:

He’s been nicknamed Joe Canadian, but a recent court ruling in Gerard Comeau’s favour could have significant repercussions for Canada’s archaic internal trade regime. As Bloomberg’s Josh Wingrove writes, all it took was 15 cases of beer.

In Canada:

Canada’s trucking industry is facing a crippling driver shortage. The Canadian Trucking Alliance expects the industry will be short some 48,000 drivers by 2024 as fewer and fewer Canadians aspire to be truck drivers. The Canadian Press has the story.

With three sitting weeks left on the parliamentary calendar, farmers in Western Canada are warning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that time is running out for the government to extend emergency grain legislation in time for the fall harvest. iPolitics has the details.

British Columbia’s agriculture ministry has developed a new hail guide for fruit growers. The new guide, released Sunday night, outlines the various insurance options etc. You can find it here.

Internationally:

The Australian government is considering an assistance package for dairy farmers who have been hard hit by slumping milk prices. As ABC Rural reports, dairy farmers are critical of the government’s response thus far – with some farmers close to losing their farms.

Global private equity firms are succeeding in Japan’s food market and thriving restaurant scene. As Reuters explains, Europe’s Permira [PERM.UL] and U.S.-based Bain Capital are among the buyout firms finding value in the fiercely competitive world of mainly privately-owned restaurants that make Tokyo one of the world’s eating capitals.